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Iced Coffee Tips

With the hot summer months upon us, it’s really hard to think of consuming coffee any other way aside from cold, no matter how much we love that first cup in the morning. (This is especially true if you reside in Texas or the South in general.)

We can satisfy this craving with a quick run to a neighborhood coffee shop, but if you want to brew your own delicious iced coffee, here are some quick tips to make the most of your cold brew.

Don’t brew iced coffee with hot water.

First thought may be to brew your coffee the traditional way and then pour the hot concoction over ice. While this will undoubtedly work, and you can do this in a jiffy, the hot coffee will melt the ice, which will then dilute it greatly.

You can brew coffee with cold water, and while doing so produces a far better tasting version of iced coffee, it takes far longer to make.

Here is a recipe from the Salisbury Post on how to concoct the perfect iced coffee:

Start to finish: 8 to 12 hours
Servings: 8

4 cups spring water

1 generous cup coarse ground coffee

In a glass jar slightly larger than 1 quart, combine the water and coffee. Stir well. Cover the jar and refrigerate overnight, or at least 8 to 12 hours.

When ready to strain, uncover the jar and stir. Line a mesh strainer with several layers of cheesecloth, then set it over a large bowl. Pour the coffee mixture into the strainer and let the coffee concentrate drip into the pitcher. Depending on the size of your strainer, you may need to do this in batches. Discard the coffee grounds.

Pour the coffee concentrate into a clean glass jar and refrigerate until ready to drink.

To serve, fill tall glasses with ice and any desired sweetener or cream. Pour 1/2 cup of the coffee concentrate into each glass. Stir and serve immediately.

Use a French Press.

By using a French Press, you can brew the coffee and filter it all in one go. In fact, Bodum sells a French Press model that is specifically for creating iced coffee.

Use a coarse grind of coffee.

If you use a fine grind, it’s difficult to strain the coffee grounds properly. As a result, your coffee could be filled with residual coffee grounds.

Freeze leftover coffee in ice cube trays.

No matter how you brew your coffee, hot or cold, if you have any left over, freeze it in ice cube trays. By using coffee ice cubes instead of water, you can prevent your iced coffee from getting diluted when the ice melts. If you must create your iced coffee with a hot water brewer, this is the only way to prevent dilution at all.

Now that you know the secrets to a delicious brew of iced coffee, it’s time to get brewing! Need to stock up on coffee for your iced escapades? We have plenty of brands of ground coffee to choose from! Not to mention, from now through September, with every case of Maxwell House Coffeepurchased, we’ll toss in a free ice cube tray just for making your coffee ice cubes!